Consumers are increasingly concerned with the taste, and other attributes, of water that they drink, and therefore many products have been provided for treating tap water to remove a significant portion of the chlorine, or other contaminants, from the water to improve its taste, and even to improve how healthy it is to drink. One tap water treatment system that has been sold for a long time and has been popular is generally shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,695,379,4,769,144, and 5,211,973 (the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein). That system includes a bottle having a neck; a tube containing, or connectable to via a canister, a water treatment material (such as activated carbon) which removes at least some of the chlorine from tap water flowing through it, the tube having a first end resting on the bottle neck while the water treatment material is within the bottle; and a cap which closes off the bottle neck. The bottle is filled by causing water to flow (e.g. from a faucet) through the tube, through the activated carbon into the bottle. When the bottle is sufficiently full, the cap is screwed into contact with the neck, automatically closing off the tube so that water is substantially prevented from flowing through the tube out of the bottle. However water can flow through openings in a first element of the cap between the neck of the bottle and the outside of the tube. A second element of the cap closes off the openings in the first element, but upon tilting of the bottle automatically reciprocates with respect to the first element to uncover the openings to allow water to be dispensed from the bottle neck. A counter is typically provided on the top of the cap second element which the consumer is advised to rotate one position per fill of the bottle to indicate when the water treatment material should be replaced.
While the system as described above is very popular, one drawback associated therewith is it has little portability because whenever the bottle is tilted or inverted the water flows out of the neck. In order to enhance the portability of the system, while not significantly increasing its cost or complexity, according to the present invention the system as described above has been modified so as to allow the cap first and second elements to be moved with respect to each other so that they are locked in a position in which the second element cannot reciprocate with respect to the first element so that water is substantially prevented from flowing out of the bottle. Also a seal is provided between the cap first element and the bottle to also prevent leakage between the cap and the bottle neck.
Also according to the present invention it is desirable to facilitate the replacement of the canister of water treatment material by allowing ready connection and disconnection to and from the tube open second (bottom) end, while providing a secure fit so that the canister does not detach from the tube during normal use. This is accomplished according to the invention by providing a particular stepped smaller diameter portion adjacent the second end of the tube, which makes a friction fit within an interior wall of a connection end of the canister.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided in combination with a bottle having a neck with an interior surface and an exterior surface, the following components: An elongated tube having first and second ends, the first end for operative connection to the bottle neck, and the second end containing or for connection to water treatment material which treats water flowing therethrough from within the tube; A cap attachable to the bottle neck, the cap including at least first and second elements, the first element having a central portion for closing off the first end of the tube and a peripheral portion having a plurality of openings. The cap second element mounted for movement with respect to the first element between open and closed positions while the first end of the tube is closed, and for permitting discharge of liquid from within the bottle in a path between the tube and the bottle neck through the openings. A sealing element that fits within the cap and which provides a liquid tight seal between the cap and the bottle neck interior surface so that liquid cannot flow between the cap and the neck except through the path. And, a locking device which is selectively actuatable to lock the first and second cap elements together in the closed position so as to seal the openings and substantially prevent leakage of water from the bottle even if the bottle is inverted.
In the combination recited above, the cap first element preferably comprises a tubular portion extending from the central portion; and wherein the second element comprises a guide shaft which extends through the tubular portion and is reciprocal within and with respect to the tubular portion; and wherein the locking device comprises surface manifestations on the tubular portion and guide shaft. In the combination set forth above preferably the tubular portion has an end terminus remote from the central portion; wherein the guide shaft is longer than the tubular portion; and wherein the surface manifestations comprise at least one elongated rib on the guide shaft and substantially parallel to the guide shaft, and at least one channel in the tubular portion for receipt of the rib; the rib having a length less than the length of the guide shaft and dimensioned with respect to the tubular portion so that when the cap is in the closed position the rib extends exteriorly of the tubular portion, and the second element may be twisted with respect to the first element so that the rib engages the end terminus of the tubular portion thereby locking the first and second elements in the closed position.
The at least one rib preferably comprises two parallel ribs positioned on opposite sides of the guide shaft (the guide shaft may be solid or hollow), and the at least one channel comprises two opposite channels one for receipt of each of the ribs. The guide shaft typically includes an enlarged end which limits the amount of movement between the first and second elements when moving between the closed and open positions. The second element typically comprises a peripheral lip which engages and seals with the first element when the elements are in the closed and locked position, and--as is conventional--a counter may be provided on top of the second element.
The water treatment material may be in a water canister; and preferably the tube second end comprises a smaller diameter stepped portion; and the canister preferably comprises a first end having a tubular connection including an internal diameter and an external diameter, the internal diameter of the tubular connection being substantially the same as said smaller diameter stepped portion of the tube so that the tube and canister have a secure but releasable friction fit. The water treatment material in the canister preferably comprises a material--such as activated carbon (such as activated carbon in a solid porous matrix with plastic, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,759)--capable of removing at least about 50% of the chlorine in tap water flowing therethrough for at least about ten gallons of tap water flowing therethrough.
The sealing element preferably comprises at least one sealing ring of substantially elastomeric material (such as soft plastic, synthetic rubber, or rubber). While the sealing ring may be part of the cap first element, or part of the bottle neck, preferably it is separable from the cap and the bottle. Also the cap first element has a wall portion which releasably engages the bottle neck exterior surface, and a terminus of the wall portion which receives the at least one sealing ring. Also the wall portion of the cap first element preferably has internal screw threads which mate with external screw threads on the bottle neck exterior surface.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided in combination with a bottle having a neck and an interior surface and an exterior surface the following: An elongated tube having first and second ends, the first end for operative connection to the bottle neck, and the second end containing or for connection to water treatment material which treats water flowing therethrough from within the tube. A cap attachable to the bottle neck, the cap including at least first and second elements, the first element having a central portion for closing off the first end of the tube and a peripheral portion having a plurality of openings. The cap second element mounted for movement with respect to the first element between open and closed positions while the first end of the tube is closed, and for permitting discharge of liquid from within the bottle in a path between the tube and the bottle neck through the openings. Wherein the water treatment material is in a water treatment canister, wherein the tube second end comprises a smaller diameter stepped portion. And, wherein the canister comprises a first end having a tubular connection including an internal diameter and an external diameter, the internal diameter of the tubular connection being substantially the same as the smaller diameter stepped portion of the tube so that the tube and canister have a secure but releasable friction fit. The water treatment material in the canister preferably is as described above.
According to another aspect of the present invention a method of handling a water bottle which includes a bottle body having a neck with external screw threads, a cap having first and second elements movable with respect to each other, a substantially elastomeric sealing ring for sealing between the cap first element and bottle neck, an internal tube having first and second open ends, and a canister of material for removing at least 50% of the chlorine from at least 10 gallons of tap water which flows therethrough, is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) Fitting a canister on the tube second end. (b) Placing the tube into contact with the bottle so that the tube first end rests on the bottle neck and the canister is within the bottle. (c) Causing water to flow into the tube, through the canister to have some chlorine removed therefrom, and then into the bottle. (d) Once the bottle contains the desired amount of water, screwing the cap first element onto the bottle neck so that the sealing ring provides a substantially water tight seal between the cap and the bottle neck and so that the cap first element substantially prevents water from flowing through the tube out the bottle. (e) Effecting relative linear movement between the cap first and second elements by tilting the bottle to cause water to flow between the tube and the neck and through one or more openings in the cap first element, so that water is dispensed from the bottle. (f) When desired, effecting relative twisting movement between the cap first and second elements to lock them in a closed position so that they do not move with respect to each other when the bottle is tilted, and substantially preclude water from flowing out of the bottle when tilted. And, (g) when desired, replacing the canister by moving it off the tube and moving a new canister into operative contact with the tube.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple yet effective enhancement for an already popular water treatment system by allowing greater portability of the system without spilling, and/or easier replacement--and secure connection--of the water treatment canister. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.